10 years, 5 months, 4 days

[kirkcudbright]

Executive summary: Our development group has just been laid off. This includes tactical_grace and frobzwiththingz, who just left for 6 weeks in New Zealand.

We were just told this morning. I haven't even had a chance to tell Francie, because she's not answering her damn phone.

I have 18 years experience in network protocol implementation. I've also been doing some graphic design on the side (e.g. the Arisia Souvenir Book and Pocket Program), and I'll take any leads in that direction.

I'm way past Denial, mood-swinging between Anger and Acceptance.

Comments

[tamidon.livejournal.com]

Well,damn,that sucks...

[clara-girl.livejournal.com]

sweet gods above, that is truly craptacular. :(

i'm so sorry.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

ugh. Sorry hon. I don't think my company has what you're looking for (though you'd be a great fit!) but if you see anything at www.pythian.com that you like, let me know...

[ceo]

Well, what a giant extra-crispy bucket of suck. I'm truly sorry.

I don't know if you're interested in disk-based storage, but if so, take a look at Permabit's open positions, here.

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

With a big side of mashed suck, and suck gravy.

[veek.livejournal.com]

That blows. I'm so sorry. I hate the suddenness of such things.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

suck!

i'll let you know if i hear of anything.

[coraline]

ugh. *hugs*

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

oh man, that's rough.

call me?

[sensesurfer.livejournal.com]

Ouch! So sorry! Has anyone sent mail to frobz's new gmail account?

oh crap

[candle-light.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. I'm part of the back up cat care group for frobz. Has anyone attempted to contact him? Do you want contact info for him?

Re: oh crap

[tactical-grace.livejournal.com]

I emailed him. Somehow I doubt I'm the only one, but you never know...

Re: oh crap

[candle-light.livejournal.com]

Thank you J. I'm sorry for you also. I hope finding something new won't be too hard.

Re: oh crap

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

hopefully, someone can clean out his personal effects/etc before 6 weeks and the company decides to do something dumb.

and a big bucket of suck all around ... hope y'all land on your paws soon.

dice and monster ARE good ways to shop your skills around fast. i'm doing contracting, and i've found the market right now for certain skills is mad mad mad. i'm getting all kinds of calls and pings.

depending on what you do and all, i can also possibly direct you to a couple good placement guys, should you want that.

#

Re: oh crap

[tactical-grace.livejournal.com]

hopefully, someone can clean out his personal effects/etc before 6 weeks and the company decides to do something dumb.

Given the environment there, I think frobz's stuff will be fine until he gets back. Although I guess you can never be sure. If needed I will go grab it for him. (Since we live about a mile away from each other.)

depending on what you do and all, i can also possibly direct you to a couple good placement guys, should you want that.

I will no doubt be in a position to need that soon...although I'm a day away from stepping onto an airplane for a week-long vacation. So I probably won't get much done before that.

[wereterrier.livejournal.com]

I haven't even had a chance to tell Francie, because she's not answering her damn phone.

Sorry! I was in meetings.

*hugs* We'll be okay.

[bridgetminerva.livejournal.com]

Damn. Sorry.
*hugs*

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

God damn. I hate things like that. *HUG*

[frotz.livejournal.com]

Ouch, what a festival of suck. My sympathies. (So what does the company do now? Isn't there a whole set of products that are now just fuxx0red without a dev team?)

If you do end up talking with frobzwiththingz and could pass on a request to have him check his email, that would be useful; I've got other annoying problems to hassle him about, though they pale in comparison.

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

The company (http://www.windriver.com/) does embedded systems software, and that's not going to change. Our group in particular had just transitioned some mature technology lines to our new Beijing office (internal off-shoring, as it were) - details (http://kirkcudbright.livejournal.com/82889.html). So the Beijing guys are kind of fuxx0red by not having us to call on while they're ramping up. We were just starting a new project, which may or may not shit-canned, and we were supposed to be helping the Stockholm team fix bugs and add features to the networking stack. So they're fuxxed as well.

[con-girl.livejournal.com]

Given that earlier post (details) I was worried that was in the cards but having no experience in your field or with your company, I thought maybe that I was just being pessimistic

I wish you a short job hunt.

I hope you get a good severance package. Are you entitled to any in MA?

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

I get 2 weeks "notification period" (I'm officially still employed until 2/20, although my accounts are disabled, and I don't have a key to get into the building), plus 14 weeks severance, plus 5 weeks for the sabbatical I didn't get to take, plus about 6 weeks of accrued vacation, so about 6 months altogether. I've just been reading up on Unemployment Insurance, and I wouldn't be eligle for that until the severance runs out.

[frobzwiththingz.livejournal.com]

well, i was planning to not show up at the office until 3/19, but i guess i'll need to head in earlier when i get back to deal with HR. Sigh. Did they take Cris out along with us?

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, your separation date isn't until the end of your sabbatical. The severance formula is 4 weeks plus 1 for every full year of service.

Cris is being shifted into Program Management, working for Ed. Tim was also retained, probably to be someone the Beijing folk could call if/when they need help. But even he didn't know what he was going to be working on in the meantime. Doc wasn't touched (because they were already short-staffed), but Bruce is understandably upset.

"about 6 months altogether"

[zyxwvut.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess things could be much worse. Still, sorry this happened to you. :-(

10 years is a long time on one job -- then again, your profile mentions how many things in your life get measured in decades...

Z

P.S.: MIT just got my license back to me, BTW. And CA-DMV should be getting me one without the "CORR LENS (http://zyxwvut.livejournal.com/tag/lasik/)" on it (so, an upgrade involved).

[foms.livejournal.com]

Is QNX of any interest? I don't know whether they have anything major in your area. We have a possible connection who has been with them for many years, here in the great white.

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

I've never used QNX, but it shouldn't be hard to pick up. Wind River saw them as a competitor, but a minor one.

[frobzwiththingz.livejournal.com]

I'll check my incoming box. Just before we left, the Gods decided to start breaking EVERYTHING in the house. I hope this one isnt too bad. Did the hot tub filters ever arrive?

[frotz.livejournal.com]

No filters as of Thursday, but the rest is metastable. I think you can not worry about this small aspect of suck and go have fun. (Oh, and I see your mail as well; replying more there.)

[chocorua.livejournal.com]

Sorry, that's conglomerates.

Send me an email, work or home, doesn't matter.

[tcb.livejournal.com]

fuck!

that sucks!

they laid P off while he's gone? fucking rude fuckers!

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

I recognized that subject line, even before I read the message. :(

Just before FTP had their layoffs, I was pushed to meet an arbitrary deadline that didn't make sense until the layoffs occurred. It sounds like that's what they did at your company with the outsourcing.

Good luck!

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I used a similar subject line in July 1997.

[trg.livejournal.com]

To echo ceo, Permabit is hiring developers. Working with you for Arisia was smooth this year. Please do pass your resume this way. If others are interested, please give them my email as well. I'm one of the hiring managers.

my lj handle @ permabit.com will reach me.

[catness.livejournal.com]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Send me a resume, please. My old apocalypse email still works, or my LJ email also.

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

nacht_musik said you work where he works. Which is more points in all y'all's direction, for sure. But I won't have an updated resume until late this weekend, or next week. My old resume is findable, but old.

*hugs*

[cintyber.livejournal.com]

That sucks babe

I will keep my ears open, send me your resume and I will what I can find.

... and the vultures descend

[totient]

Yow. That's rough.

Don't rush into anything. But when it comes time for that, I'm pretty happy at Vanu and we're hiring too.

[tcb.livejournal.com]

If any of our coding puzzles (http://www.itasoftware.com/careers/jlisting.html?jid=36) looks interesting to you, ITA is a great company; smart people, interesting work, great benefits, and profitable..

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

Oh geez.

I'm sorry, hon. I really am. If I had any connections whatsoever to tekky jobs, I'd be throwing them your way. Lucky there are lots of folks we know who *do* have tekky job connections.

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

S'okay, I'm totally psyched to be seeing you soon, and I'll get through this okay.

[noire.livejournal.com]

EEEEEK!!!! That's completely horrific!!!! Humongo mega bags of sympathy.

Would you like to read some Jacobean revenge dramas?

[roozle.livejournal.com]

Nothing like being pushed onto the tracks of the change roller coaster. Sympathy ...

[kimberlogic.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry this huge bucket of suck was dumped on all of you!
*hugs*

[doctordidj.livejournal.com]

Sorry for your trouble. I learned a long time ago that job security is a myth, sad to say that still seems to be the case.

Six months of unemployment comp, yes? Grab it.

[gosling.livejournal.com]

That so sucks. :-( Bleh.

[mamishka.livejournal.com]

Big (if belated) hugs to you! I feel pretty confident that you will be able to find something - cause you're so fabulous! :-) I'm also glad to hear that you have six months of paid time to do so as well.

That all said, RAT BASTARDS!

Lots of love and good wishes winging your way from me!